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Topic : 11/24 Family Cult

Number of Replies: 265

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Created on : Thursday, November 20, 2008, 01:49:48 pm

Author : DrPhilBoard1

Dr. Phil delves into a tragic story that spanned several decades, shattered lives and left one person behind bars. Fourteen children were held captive by a man who called himself The Messiah … a man who was also their father. Jeanne says she was raised in this environment, which the authorities called cult-like, and that she and her siblings were starved, beaten and had no schooling. In a tear-jerking revelation, Jeanne tells Dr. Phil that she was forced to perform unthinkable sexual acts with her own father, beginning when she was just 5 years old and ending when she was 27. Jeanne may be a victim of horrible cruelty, but her sisters, Miriam and Sarah, say they can’t forgive her for the pain she caused them. Find out why these siblings are estranged, and why Sarah says she’s nervous just sitting next to Jeanne on Dr. Phil’s stage. It’s been 20 years since Jeanne’s father was arrested, but she and her family say the effects of abuse still linger. Can these siblings ever get closure on their horrific past? Join the discussion.

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oh my god

im so sorry about what you people went through.i cryed all during htis show.my god i can't even amagine this happening.this so called father isnt a father.i dont even know what to say,other then im sooooooooo sorry.my god my dad was a very good dad.i cant even imagine my dad or any dad doing this to their kids.are'nt you suppose to protect your children.and im sorry but where the hell was the mother.what was she doing.or was she even in the picture.good god dr.phil these poor poor girls.im crying even typing this.im soory i dont understand people who can hurt their kids.and to do this to them.my god.this so called father will pay for what he has done but the time he gets in jail isn';t enough as far as im concerned.

Sorry just can't express what I feel

To be honest I would have to say that my upbringing was less than ideal in the 1960's.But... I had my innocence and sexuallity preserved and for that I'm very grateful.No child should grow up sexually manipulated and exploited by a parent.I'm So very,very sorry that this happened to you and it consequently changed who you were to become.I can only think of that scene in Forest Gump when Jenny is throwing rocks at the old house were she was ___POWERLESS___and sexually abused.Then Forest gump watches her pitch rocks at the home of her child abuse and says."Sometimes there just are arn't enough rocks".Sometimes there just arn't enough rocks but I believe that being on this show is the start of your healing and recovery from abuse.What happened to you is NOT YOUR FAULT even if the body responds from it's Biology.We want you to come back and reclaim your innocense and find that poor child that was devistated by such an act of this violence and betrayal.YOU WILL RECOVER AND CLAIM YOUR LIFE ! I KNOW THAT BECAUSE THIS IS HOW GOD WORKS.

I cannot express the remorse I feel for these children after watching this show. And yes, I mean children, because it's the child in all of them that is still screaming out to be heard. One of the most horrendous cases of abuse I have ever heard. This so called "Father" was not only a monster, but a monster hell bent on creating another in his own image. I hope someday this family can all take solice in knowing the moster was unsuccessful. Please take care and find peace in your hearts through togetherness.

We survivors

I survived, but spent years just wanting to die. I married an abuser, I abused my own children, then I finally just broke. I spent time in a PSY Unit staring at padded walls. Finally, I got real help. I am happy, I have a wonderful marriage, my children are grown, my life is good. It can happen, it is NOT easy, and requires work. It happened for me, and can happen for each of you. I remember asking my therapist every day, do some people get out of misery. She said "yes", but just a few. Be one of the few. Forgive, you do not ever forget. Be helpful, to all like us, we need to love each other, there has been enough hate. Who was abused more is not a game. Be happy, each day. Start with a simple form of Happy, (for me it was petting my cat). Treasure the moment, pay attention to what it feels like, then KNOW, you deserve more. Be one of the few. My therapist always said, "Oprah was abused, she is "one of the few". Carla

too much wailing??

At least these sisters' wailing was real. About things that really happened to them. Unlike one of last season's guests whose histrionics seemed more like bad acting than genuine, heartfelt emotion.

I cannot believe the thoughtlessness behind such a statement. Can you imagine the amount of pent up [ain and rage in these people, and rightfully so. That was just the tip of the iceburg for this family and I'm sure therapy will take them well beyond "wailing" and hopefully into full blown screaming fits! They need to vent and spew out all this hatred. It's their right. And quite frankly, from your statement alone, something we all need to be more aware and accepting of in others.

also ran

I think there was too much wailing on this show today. Yes it is a horrible experience, but to listen to these women wail in their pain and sorrow went on way too long on the show! It is almost as if they were exploited for the ratings or advertisers of the show. Yes they need help and yes they need healing and forgiveness for each other, but is it really necessary to put all this on television to this degree to make the point?

Yes, it is absolutely necessary. And yes, they need to heal and move on. It wasn't close to the degree of pain they each carry every moment. Oprah made it past the pain, only a few do. Happy is not easy, when you don't even know what it is. Please just let them experience what they can, and hope at some point they move on, past the pain. It will not be easy for them. You have a head start, someone let you be happy, please give these girls some space.

sorry for big sis

i for one was very upset to see that it seemed everyone was so against the big sister (except bro) and she was the one that had the most stuff happen to her. i thought maybe it would have been a little better to have let the two younger sisters "acknowledge" the fact that she had far worse things happen too and try to have a little understanding instead of being so bitter.

11/24 Family Cult

I have just read the online transcript from this show and it moved me to tears. It is so painful just to read about what these people suffered at their own fathers hands. I am so very glad to know that he has been imprisoned for over 100 years. I was an only child and suffered violence and emotional abuse from a very cruel mother. The damage that is done to your soul from this type of treatment is lifelong. The nightmares recur, the pain in your heart is eternal. I have learned that the only escape from it is to be brave and trust good people around you. I was not lucky enough to have any professional counselling but I am convinced this is beneficial. To this family I would say get professional guidance, learn to trust good people and be brave. I have learned to love and be loved in return. I still manage my pain but I am happy now and I contribute to the lives of the people around me positively. I am compassionate and strong from my own experiences. GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

I,too, suffered from physical and mental abuse from my mother and older sister. And yes, indeed, it is lifelong. I'm glad that you found good people to trust but how do we know the good ones from the con-artists? I have had multiple terrible life experiences because I was too trusting and fell into the hands of those who took advantage of my vulnerabity due to the childhood abuse and longing for love and normalcy in my adult life. The abuse is lifelong and never ends. I have become afraid to trust anyone and have learned to find happiness in the company of myself..................a lonely life in some respects, but safe from the abusers.

Abuse Flows Down Hill

Dr. Phil hung Jeanne out to dry in his show today. He allowed her sisters to abuse her emotionally in such a heinous way today that it made me sick. Jeanne was a child and she did what she had to do to survive. If she didn't do as her father groomed her to do, she would have never survived to make it to this show. Dr. Phil should have been explaining the dynamics of abuse in a family and how it flows downhill. What you aren't hearing in this show so far is that each one of those girls most likely abused the next youngest under them. That is the way abuse works in a family and it is why abuse moves through generations. These girls are blaming Jeanne because they can't get close enough to dad to blast him the way that they are publicly blasting Jeanne on this show. They speak of Jeanne humiliating them, what is their real reason for feeling the need to publicly humiliate Jeanne today? They aren't looking for a way to forgive Jeanne, they are looking for public revenge. Jeanne had no choices. She was a child who had no where to turn. The criminal in this family is Dad and Mom who created the circus of abuse. These sisters need to get some therapy and grow up and understand that Jeanne may have been the only person standing between them and possible death. I do feel sorry for these girls, but there comes a time when you are an adult, you take care of business and place blame where it belongs. My true sympathies go to Jeanne in this family.

Family Abuse

I applaud this family for having the courage to share their horrible experience. They survived unspeakable horrors, things that no living being should have to endure.

I was abused by my older brother for many years. My story is quite different, yet in some ways the same as that of this family. My parents were not the cause of the abuse my brother handed out. They were good, loving parents. I've thought a lot about what caused my brother to become the monster he was. I certainly don't excuse his behavior nor do I forgive him for what he did to me or others. What he did is unforgivable. Was there a reason for it? I don't know. He was a narcissist, not just self-centered but truly he thought that the rules didn't apply to him. It's possible that he had a metabolic tendency to act the way he did. He quite probably suffered mild brain trauma at birth. He was a breech birth and was delivered with forceps. I remember my mother saying he looked like the loser of a prize fight when he was born, his head was swollen, bruised and misshapen-ed. He also suffered emotional trauma at age 6 when our older brother (eleven years his senior) died of a heart condition. I came along when he was 8 and I was the little girl that my mother always wanted. She made no secret about her disappointment that my brother had been born a boy. Yes, these facts of his life could influence his personality, but they do not excuse his behavior.

My brother bullied me all my life. He treated me like his property, especially after our father died when I was 9 and my brother 17. After our mother died, he seduced and raped me. He made me feel that it was my fault, that he was guiltless. For many years I felt worthless and he did everything in his power to reinforce that image. I finally broke free of him with much difficulty. We never did reconcile. I don't miss him and I'm relieved he is dead. At least he can't hurt anyone else any more.

His abuse didn't stop with me. He went on to sexually molest his stepdaughter. He probably abused and/or molested other girls/women that I'll never know about.

Monsters like him exist in this world. They hide in plain sight. They present themselves as wonderful people. They often point out how much they sacrifice for others. The only way to stop them is to expose them. It takes courage to speak against them for often they are masters of manipulation. They are experts at twisting words and opinions in their favor. Far too often they use Scripture to justify themselves.